rollin_n_coastin

So many classics! Hard to chose just one favourite, being a total flat ride fan My favourites aren't listed so I'll go for "other". I'd vote for the Jump2 as my current favourite but also close up are: Swing Around Jump Skylab Ranger UFO (my favourite prior to the Jump2)

This is so true. Really glad that those planned trims that they told us about in '08 never happened.

That jingle hasn't changed since I was old enough to remember it in the mid to late 80s. After going back in '08, about 20 years later, it was apparant that the park and animal conditions, which 'may' have been fine back then, haven't changed either. The performance area looked so small compared to how I remember it. Thankfully Friendship Cove turned out well at least. Suzie McNiel is just peeved that she couldn't get something better after Canadian Idol. She knew exactly what and who she was singing for. Marineland is always packed and people will always pay to get in if in the area. The only thing that has been running and keeping Holer's business afloat over the years and the thing that will continue to do so is location, location, location. Hopefully further investigation will clarify and remove any exaggerated tales from disgruntled employees, etc. The most important thing is to improve the older facilities by pinpointing reasonable and necessary upgrades on a real world timeline as I don't see attendance declining any time soon. I do believe that the trainers that work there love and care for each animal whole heartedly and make the very best of the existing conditions. Thank goodness for them. I also believe that John Holer loves the animals and that his mission statement comes from the heart but it's obvious that he's been suffering from some myopia--why invest in your business beyond the basics when the status quo has proved adequate for decades and the people keep coming? He needs to be challenged and this is the best that's happened in years.

This looks awesome. Replacing a unique bobsled with another unique coaster is perfect for that area of the park. Wing riders look tame enough to be family friendly. Love the interaction at the gate. ^I dunno--you had me until "reliable" and then my mind went to a kitchen appliance or Toyota. Takes the thrill and excitement right out of it

That trend has totally passed for sure....almost like floorless? Love the Togos and Scorcher since they are just the right length before becoming really uncomfortable. I really love Sky Rider's ejector air standing up....it's so bizarre After riding Mantis a month ago, it was definitely a reminder that some things just shouldn't be done standing up...so horribly long and painful.

Oli, I'm shocked

What, no recent B & Ms?? For me so far: Kumba, Batman, Hulk, Montu, Talon, Raptor. Can't wait to try Khan and Nemissis one day.

Ug. I thought these new uncomfortable trains were supposed prevent the need for adding more parts that would make Jigsaw proud... What else can they do to make it even worse? This new Star Flyer sounds cool though. If done right, they can be an awesome landmark, like at Tivoli and surprisingly, a challenge to ride for many. It is kinda high though. Six Flags will probably add a cage around each seat for its second season.

^hahah those survival kits are classic! I'm not sure if it's where we sat or the weather but Flight Deck caught me off guard in that it was running much smoother than usual

Finally had a chance to catch up on the trip. Awesome stuff! I really want to get out West one day and check outnsome of the national parks as well. Agree with Chuck -- that last West Edmonton caption wins lol

Such an amazing day at the park yesterday! The park went all out for the group. Thank you CW and TPR! There was so much to do. Just amazing. I'm still up on four hours sleep on pure adrenaline from Leviathan and Behemoth. The cold water with Stunt Coaster combo may have had something to do with it as well I'm also really looking forward to hearing thoughts on Leviathan.

I can't believe it's coming this weekend already. To everyone on LeviaThon or doing a little pre-bash trip, have a great time and see everyone on Sunday!

Glad the moderating worked out for you. Instead of the equivelant of maybe just over a page of very recent posts about names now we are actually getting "page after page". Moving on, Just one more name to throw out there lol. With the colour in those pics they're obviously paying homage to the flat ride in front of Disaster Transport so it's obviously going to be called "Wing Rider Wing Rider Wing Rider". ^What an interesting show. A buddy and I went in for air conditioning and a beer since Maverick was down for an hour or so. The cheese factor was too much to handle, it was hard to stop laughing at certain numbers, most notably Firework. The kids in the theatre were loving it though, which is what it's all about.

I hear that they've came up with a fantastic name for it. It's supposed to be called Wing Rider. The font will be amazing.

Any old school body slide that has more speed than thought or as you remember as a kid with airtime and a nice concrete pool to splash into at full speed for a full skin scraping experience The first set of water slides I went on as a kid and they are still insane--the Kamikaze and Corkscrew set at Wild Water Works in Hamilton. **Edit--Just checked their site and it looks like they ripped out the body slides recently and replaced them with two more raft slides I guess body slides either considered dangerous in today's world or past their prime. I'll miss those out out of control rides.

^^If you're a B&M fan, of their hypers in particular, you'll love Leviathan. A great take on a speed coaster. As for hotels, they're all relatively new at the mid range. Search on Expedia, sort by distance and you're good to go.

^Why? It's so majestic Son of Beast taking in some sun last weekend -- I thought it was going to catch on fire like an ant under a magnifying glass...

If you want the closest hotel to the park, it's the Novotel Vaughan. But, it'll be a bit more expensive.

Just back from a great but very hot day at the park, which was a work team building day. One of the scavenger hunt questions from the park was to name the Action Zone ride that has the same name as a Peter Gabriel song. In honour of this awesome ride, here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqyc37aOqT0 I love the ride a lot and am really looking forward to riding it this season. I remember riding it up to the end of Halloween Haunt. It always seems to have opening pains but hopefully like others mentioned, this overhaul will give it the fix it needs. In terms of a new flat ride, a Flying Fury, like Vertigo at Tivoli Gardens would be incredible if they use the same ride time reservation system. It's one of the most incredible flat ride I've been on.

Great Adventure! Go for the food! Go for the coasters! Oops....go just for the coasters It looks like they put a great day together for the tour! Great pics Joey! It's definitely time to get back there again soon.

What a perfect time to be in Italy! Have an amazing trip! Next up for Elissa, other ages of pecorino on crostini I still can't believe that whenever I visited Italy, I never knew these parks existed, even Mirabilandia. Miragica looks like a great family park. Hopefully their star attraction will open up again one day.

Thanks Wes and Eric! Coordinating such an event in two countries was quite the undertaking I'm sure but the results hopefully made it all worth while. Blue is a nice place. Not too big, not too small and within a reasonable drive (2-2.5 hours from the city). Like any resort, be prepared for a good gouging on tourist activities. Each ride on Ridge Runner is $15.00 as an example. I personally loved it! If I could afford it, I'd stay on all day. It's amazing how your perception of value changes when you're immersed in an over-priced atmosphere -- it's just 'normal' Nick, I'm not sure if the Hammer will ever be open for you..lol ^,^^ Oh no, hamburger wars by Josh! The good independents, for the most part are in the city. Some good chains stretch out into the burbs--South Street, Hero, Licks and Five Guys off the top of my head.

A huge thank you to Kara with GKTW and Dineen at Canada's Wonderland for organizing such a great event on a beautiful Sunday! A huge thanks as well to the amazing staff at Vortex and Colin and his staff at Behemoth. The entire day was very well done. The upgraded lunch to the Market Place was very much appreciated by all of us riders judging from our love of Pizza Pizza and all the other awesome stuff! The day sure proved a definite challenge that I think we were all able to meet with the encouragement from all of the riders and crew. Congratulations to the entire Team TPR team at Canada's Wonderland: Nick (odene497), Josh (PCW_Nut), Paul (Carnage), Matt (Mightypotato) and John (Archnemasis). Together, Team TPR raised over $3,100! It was awesome meeting all the other riders from other teams or there on their own to support such a great cause. We were 26 strong and as a park, raised over $7,740 for GKTW, up from $3,700 in 2011! Click Here if you'd like to check out pics of our Coasting for Kids "Warm up on a Wiegand weekend" and other pics of the day!

Now that the weekend warm-up is done, it's time to head to the real deal. Coasting for Kids 2012! All together, Team TPR managed 13 rides on Vortex and 57 rides on Behemoth! Here are some more pics to add to our team's pics on Facebook and in the Coasting for Kids Thread. Thanks to the Crews at Vortex and Behemoth, in particular Colin and Mark, for a fantastic time and keeping us going! After 5pm, we squeezed in a ride on Leviathan and ended the day on Spinnovator (a Calypso spinning ride) just because. Then we all somehow made it home to recover 8:15am and all's well! Just about to go in. We were lined up with Season Pass early entry folks. Ah yes, we lived on Behemoth from 10:45 until 5pm, after Vortex and breakfast. The entire team is here! From left to right: John, Matt, Nick, me, Josh and Paul. Excuse us while we all squeeze into the phone booth.. ...so that we all come out as official Coasting for Kids riders! Did we plan the uniform? Mehbee? Nothing like marathoning Vortex to gain a new appreciation for how forceful and awesome the ride is! The awesome front seat! Team TPR and other happy Coasting for Kids riders! Moving on to Behemoth after breakfast! That empty front row seat that I'm about to take was the official seat of protein spills! No worries because.... Mark and crew kept that seat cleaned and disinfected all day! Not only that, Mark kept us energized at the start and again after lunch right up to the end along with entire Behemoth Crew! Josh takes a brief break to send pics to TPR while we await the second "clean up" Paul, Nick and myself in by far the most forceful seats of the ride. We didn't last here for too long! Nick on his 50th ride with his nemesis, Sledge Hammer, still not working in the background. Paul's taking in the fact that we're almost done! John and Matt used the successful 'same seat' strategy to keep them going right up until the end.

Warm Up Part 3 - Lunch Buffet Prep! Leaving the resort - what's to eat? Sure it's not open yet, but maybe frozen yogurt isn't the type of stuff we're in need of? That's more like it! After the drive home, Josh, Nick and I headed to Holy Chuck Burgers for the juiciest and heaviest burger ever! Josh is sporting the lovely two grilled cheese bun burger with a Nutella and salted caramel shake. Nick is sporting the classic, signature Holy Chuck burger with a chocolate bacon shake. You'll have to excuse us after all that....have to get ready for the morning!